Candace Andersen sat on a chair with her head tilted back.
The chair of Contra Costa County’s Board of Supervisors wore a cloth red-and-white face mask that covered her mouth, and sun glared off her closed eyes Thursday afternoon as a nurse stuck a piece of medical equipment up her nose that’s used to measure COVID-19 antibodies.
There it stayed — for about 15 seconds. The nurse — covered in personal protection equipment — removed the swab and Andersen was finished. It felt like a “tickle,” she said, adding “I wouldn’t describe as painful.”
In all, the whole process took nearly as long as it did for Andersen to announce moments earlier that coronavirus testing was now available to all residents in Contra Costa County, and that anyone who feels potential symptoms or suspects they were exposed should get it.
Anderson and Dr. Chris Farnitano also encouraged asymptomatic patients who may wonder about their status to be tested under the new program. The county has been administering about 450-500 tests per day since the pandemic gained steam, and Farnitano said he wants to get that number up to 2,200 a day.
“Testing is really really critical in our fight to control the coronavirus spread,” Farnitano said. “More testing means that more people know if they have the virus, and they can get the care they need and isolate themselves from others to help contain the spread.
“It also helps us identify others who may have been exposed by coming into contact with those who test positive, so they can self-quarantine during the period when they might develop an infection.”
Officials said testing will be administered by the county at locations in Antioch, Concord, Martinez, Pittsburg, San Pablo, and San Ramon, and that the state will administer testing in Brentwood, Pinole and Walnut Creek.
The county-administered sites will be drive-thru, while the state-administered sites will require test subjects to get out of their cars. Those who don’t have medical insurance will not be billed, but those who do have insurance will be, Andersen said.
Farnitano said the testing also is “really critical to reopening our community. Our ability to test more residents every day allows us to generate the data we need to know when we can start loosening the restrictions.”
For now, he said, the restrictions will not match some of the loosening that Gov. Newsom has allowed in other counties in the state. Those orders were tailored to “more rural communities,” Farnitano said. “The Bay Area is not an island.”
Instead, the situation will continue to be evaluated, he said.
Health care workers, first-responders and essential employees who have lots of public contact all likely should be tested, Farnitano said, perhaps more than one time if they feel it’s necessary.
“I really want to thank all the nurses that are working at all of our testing sites as well as all the nurses across the county who are the front lines every day trying to bring needed care to our residents during this pandemic,” he said. “I’m very proud of their professionalism and their call to duty during this critical time.”
In Contra Costa County, 999 people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 29 people have died.
Some of the more recent trends have been positive. The number of hospital patients for a night briefly was under 20 on Tuesday night, the first time since March 24. The average number of patients over a seven-day period also has seen a steady decline.
Farnitano called those trends “really encouraging.”
County officials said more information on the exact locations of the testing will be given when residents make appointment, which they must do before getting a test. To make an appointment call 1-844-421-0804. Information about testing is always available at coronavirus.cchealth.org/testing
Correction: May 7, 2020 The headline of an earlier version of this article incorrectly said the Contra Costa County COVID-19 testing was available to citizens. The testing is available to all residents of the county,
